Comments on: Why Women’s Orgs Must Become Non-Partisan

By: John (from Liberal Rapture)

John (from Liberal Rapture) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:34:41 +0000

Much as I appreciate this post I do not see how the GOP can help. Though, they certainly would not be as disrespectful.

By: Amabo Kcarab

Amabo Kcarab — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:58:06 +0000

A good article by Ms. Siskind. I particularly like suggestions 03 and 04, since I feel that women’s groups who hung all of their expectations on one party have been taken for granted and left with no options. (Same for gay rights groups, as well.)

In general, I would think a group might have a basic strategy like this:

a) Have a “big picture” approach to achieving your aims. What you wish to realistically accomplish should be larger than one politician, or one party, or one political cycle.

b) Be willing to talk with ANY politician with influence about your group’s concerns and wishes, even one who publically opposes your group. As Ms. Siskind phrased it, you will have to “pitch” your talk in order to appeal to that politician’s needs.

c) Be clear within your group what can be negotiated and what cannot with politicians. A big mistake by some groups is for the leadership to sacrifice core principles in order to achieve marginal gains.

d) Be clear within your group what you expect with a particular politician. Some you expect to be a strong advocate for your concerns; others will be “fair weather” supporters as they feel the heat from opposing groups; some at best may avoid rolling back major gains IF you can appeal to their political needs strongly enough.

d) As a group you should avoid demonizing any politician who would be a natural supporter unless the politician is actively opposing your core principles. For instance, NOW should by default support any female politician, no matter if she’s Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc., unless she pushes for legislation that opposes the stated goals of NOW.

(Sorry for the length, but I got to thinking and couldn’t shut off the brain.)

By: foxx

foxx — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:34:58 +0000

We need to be a lot more radical than you suggest. We need to stop looking to political parties to give us anything.

We are giving away our power to them. Problem is, what I’m suggesting entails serious risks. Civil disobedience. A girl might even get arrested.

By: HEPT

HEPT — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:17:30 +0000

You never had any rights except the one to vote for the person of your choice.
Ya gets what ya vote for.
Now go get the messiah a waffle like a good girl and a cup of coffee too.

By: Kieran

Kieran — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:54:48 +0000

Great column, Amy. No woman should be a robot for either male-dominated party. Only through independence will we recover our leverage.

By: bayareavoter

bayareavoter — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:10:15 +0000

Beachnan–I feel exactly the same way.

I am so DONE with establishment. The only way we will get our democracy back is to get rid of the money in politics.

Even in Afghanistan: 27 percent of seats in the National Assembly and 25 percent of seats in Provincial Councils are occupied by women. The USA ranks 69th in the world of percentage of women in government!

I was in shock that the Stupak amendment passed. In 2009! With the WH and both houses of Congress in Dem hands. Pathetic.

And please, let’s agree that if no money is allowed to subsidize abortions (even if you buy your own insurance!!) no money should subsidize viagra either.

By: bayareavoter

bayareavoter — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:01:59 +0000

I’m with you!

By: beachnan

beachnan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:30:54 +0000

Thank you Amy. This last election was a real eye opener for me. There was maybe one or two times in my life I voted other than Democrat, and only in local elections. My heart and soul belonged to the Democratic Party. Now they can kiss my ass. I am an Independent. What they did last year, kicking the truly qualified female candidate, Hillary Clinton, to the curb, for the inadequate male candidate, was the final straw. She ran circles around that man, and these women’s organizations kicked her to the curb. Everything they send me gets thrown in the trash. The Democrats will have to work very hard to get my vote in the future. Keep going after these “supposed” women’s organizations-they need a swift kick and a wake-up call.

By: jbjd

jbjd — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:44:16 +0000

Thought I should post at least one link…
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2008/07/19/pumapac-strikes-back-stupid-piece-of/

By: jbjd

jbjd — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:39:11 +0000

…unless you are referring to Murphy from PUMA PAC who called another woman a “piece of shit” in an editorial on her blog and, when given the opportunity to withdraw that remark the next day in a radio spot, declined to do so. And when I had the audacity to complain she had called another woman a “piece of shit,” (and posted other racist/anti-Semitic comments) retaliated against me by refusing to post my vote binding states prowl, which action focused on preserving the votes of HRC pledged delegates from vote binding states. And as we now know, delegates from these vote binding states turned out to have played a key in the floor vote at the Convention. Bottom line? Certain PUMAs like women unless they are pieces of shit; or smarter than they are; or more civil to other women.

By: PuppyDogMom

PuppyDogMom — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:50:37 +0000

The women who withdrew their support of Hillary and moved to Obama I hope are embarrassed by that choice. LGBT groups who turned away from Hillary and toward Obama should likewise be embarrassed. I turned my back on the democrats when they turned theirs on Hillary. The only political organization that makes any sense to me now is PUMA.

By: misfit

misfit — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:30:55 +0000

When NARAL withdrew its support for Hillary Clinton’s candidacy I was outraged. When I read Kate Michaelman’s oped in the NY Times this morning, I wanted to see her acknowledge this error–here she was whining that Obama was not supporting choice when she and other Dems had every opportunity to put a true choice candidate in office and turned the other way. She did not address this issue. I still cannot believe that the first viable female candidate EVER was not supported by women in her party–even those within groups whose sole reason for existence was to support reproductive rights.

By: BuzzisbackLatte

BuzzisbackLatte — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:00:27 +0000

Me, too. I have no need to participate in any more herd mentality endeavors.

I am the goddess of me now and I like the arrangement very much!

By: BuzzisbackLatte

BuzzisbackLatte — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:42:51 +0000

Then perhaps Pelosi is ripe for a legal scandal caused by her own greed and out of control ego.

Come on Karma, time to knock on Nancy’s door…

By: Prime Obot

Prime Obot — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:34:13 +0000

“Our district” is the entire city of San Francisco, and no, there is no chance of Nancy Pelosi being voted out, not ever. She didn’t get to be Speaker by accident. She is arguably the most potent fundraiser in the House of Representative and a legislative wizard; let’s not forget that the House just passed the first major health care reform bill in about 50 years. An enormous accomplishment. You may not like the bill (this isn’t the thread to argue that point), but the fact that it even passed is remarkable, and a testament to the political skill of Speaker Pelosi.

The Stupak amendment is, of course, disgusting, and will have to be removed in conference or I’m quite confident that the entire health care bill will fail.